The Pneumonic Plague In Medieval Europe

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Between the years of 1346 and 1353, Europe faced one of its most devastating
Invaders. Unlike usual invaders that Europeans were used to, this new invader was the
Black Death, one of the most infamous plagues of all time. This pandemic killed an estimate of 25 million people or about one-third of the European population
(nationalgeographic.com). With lack of enough medical knowledge in Medieval
Europe, Europeans could not fight the plague or even hinder its progress through
Europe(historylearningsite.co.uk)

The Black Death is usually considered as a single plague while it is in fact a combination of different types of plagues: Bubonic plague, Septicemic plague, and
Pneumonic plague. The Bubonic plague is the disease's most common form.
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However, the most infectious one is the Pneumonic plague which is an advanced stage of the
Bubonic plague in which it is spread through air. Although the Pneumonic plague is more infectious, the Bubonic is far more fatal, killing almost every infected human
(nationalgeographic.com). The main pathogen responsible for the different types of
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plagues and the Black Death in general is the Yersinia Pestis, which is a bacterium that can infect both humans and animals(wikipedia.org; historytoday.com)

One of the most frequently asked question about the black death is from where did it originally come from. One accepted theory states that the Black Death was originally originated in China or Central Asia. It is then believed that it traveled along the Silk
Road, which is a network of trade routes that. Main carriers of the Black Death were black rats. These rats were usually on merchant ships, and as merchants traveled to
Europe, the black death did too. The Black Death traveled to Italy, France, Spain,
Portugal, England, Germany, Russia, and Scandinavia. The Black Death left its mark on almost every part of